


Cold Encounter of a Jerk Kind

by Happylittleaddict, ShyChangling



Series: CL AU [5]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Leonard Church is a Dick, Minor Body Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 11:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16786453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happylittleaddict/pseuds/Happylittleaddict, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyChangling/pseuds/ShyChangling
Summary: Trapping is Tucker's job. As he camps for the night as traveling at that time is dangerous the winter weather lures him into a cave.Where something lay deep within it.





	Cold Encounter of a Jerk Kind

**Author's Note:**

> Shy notes- taking a break from NUSW to bring you something less horrific and bit of the CL as that's been neglected for awhile.

The rain started abruptly in the night. Dropping out of the sky hard and freezing. Any fire soon drenched and dying. The trees were good for light drizzle but as winter came the rain became heavier and frost visited with it is. There lay a cave nearby. Inviting and though cold as well at least would be safe shelter.

The only risk potential were Shades. They loved to hide where there were many shadows. Yet this area was swept recently by knights, they had chased off the gathering fiends and left the path clear, and this cave was in the path. Surely they'd have swept inside as well, one would assume anyways.

Tucker swore loudly as he pulled his hood over his head to prevent the freezing rain from soaking his hair. If that happened it would take hours to dry and he would be cold a lot longer. He needed to find someplace to camp out for the night though before he made his way back to his home. He looked around, pulling his coat tight around him to conserve body heat. He knew there was a cave around here somewhere, and considering how recently there had been a Shade Sweep he figured it would be safe enough.

Tucker sighed and muttered curses at the poor weather as he made his way through the trees looking for the cave. It didn’t take him too long to locate it, while it would still be cold at least it would keep the wind and rain off. He entered the cave quietly, shaking water off his coat to keep it from soaking through and chilling him further.

The cave was deep it was hard to tell how deep it went. On a better day one could muse about the treasures and dangers far in it's depth, but for now it was shelter, much needed as it began to hail outside. 

Out of sight deep in the dark, something stirs. Old, tired and in no mood for company.

“God damn I hate winter weather. So random and always fucking cold.” Tucker said to himself as he went a little further into the cave to avoid whatever water might come in through the cave opening.

There's a sound of dripping and bubbling. Like something is irritated inside. The sound moves closer then farther away, circling almost, but the irregular sounds so similar to those of a normal cave it was hard to pick up on the red flags, that a shade indeed lay within. Slinking around in a circle and sometimes walking along the ceiling, observing the one who intruded upon its shelter.

Tucker found a raised area against one of the walls, far enough to not be bothered by the weather outside but not so far as to be stuck in total darkness, that would be a stupid thing to do even with the recent Sweep that was done. He sat down and took off his coat, it was cold in the cave but his coat was damp and that would just make things feel more miserable. He didn’t have much for a fire, mostly just some starter and he didn’t want to waste that trying to keep a fire going all night. So he would just have to deal with the cold for the time being.

The howling of the wind drowns out the sound of dripping and bubbling, at least until it gets abit... Too close. Then suddenly it stops entirely.

Tucker tilted his head a bit at the sudden silence of the cave, it was probably just the changes in the weather outside, nothing to worry about too much. Caves always seemed to make eerie noises anyways and every little change both outside and inside of them changed how they sounded.

A large long arm drops from the ceiling grabbing onto Tucker's face. Wrapping around tightly and starts to drag him to the dark open area of the cave. Further down something slowly drips from the ceiling the seeming liquid taking form as the rest of the arm falls down with it and reconnects like solid ooze. Deep unnatural green eyes stare down at Tucker as it continues it’s approach.

Tucker made a startled sound as he was grabbed his eyes getting wide as the Shade dropped down from the ceiling. That was just great, of all the caves to go into he ended up in likely the only one in the area that still had a shade in it. This one was big though, a lot bigger than they usually were, at least from what he had heard. “Well... this is bullshit.” Tucker grunted through his teeth, the grip on his face was tight enough it made speaking difficult.

By the time he reaches him the Shade is nearing ten feet. He pulls him closer, looking over him, as if trying to determine something. He opens his mouth, a set of fangs on top, and a matching pair below. But they melt away. "You're not a knight. Don't even have any fucking oblivion on you."

“Yeah no shit.” Tucker responded with a derisive tone to his voice. This was really shitty and he probably shouldn’t be taking such a sarcastic tone towards something that towered over him. It was not a good method of survival.

The Shade grins. "Tempting fate? Probably a bad idea." He wraps an oozing tendril around the lower part of Tucker’s face, the strange substance filling his mouth effectively gagging him. "Now be quiet. I don't know what you are." Nahum most likely. The ears at the top were rounded enough for one. "Are you after fame, nahum?" he asks forgetting he's currently very effectively gagged with gunk.

Tucker tilts his head slightly with an expression that could translate to “are you an idiot.” As he also shook his head as best he could.

The shade hides his embarrassment and removes his hand taking traces of gunk with him. "So, not here to hunt me down? You're just.. a traveler."

“Yeah pretty fuckin much. Do I even look like a hunter?” Tucker made a face as he spoke. The worst weapon he had currently was a knife, and he doubted that would do much against a shade of this size. He wasn’t that kind of hunter anyways.

"Heh. No, you look like a drowned rat to be honest. But what was I to think. This area was just swept, sometimes to do a double sweep and I'd rather not be cut down thank you." No oblivion fucking stings and makes you solid. And when you're solid it's much harder to be pieced back together.

“Does it look like I’m carrying anything that would be effective against something like you?” He asked and rolled his eyes.“Also no real effective armor.”

"True, Nahum are stupid. But not that stupid." The Shade looks out of the cave. "The rain brought you in then. Hmph. What do I care if you stay." Not like he could hurt him. Even if he managed a kill he'd just come back. He always comes back.

“Hey fuck you, I'm not stupid!” Tucker huffed indignantly and crossed his arms glaring up at the Shade.

"Course not. That's why you're traveling a freshly swept road." He can give him that much credit. "Say, you have a name? I'd rather not just call you Nahum. Feels rather cruel doesn't it?"

Tucker shifted a bit “Tucker. Most people call me Tucker,” he said to him hesitantly.

"Nervous to give your name to a Shadow?" the Shade snarks. "Then I'll return the favor. Call me Church. It's a name I've grown used to." It's not wise to give names to a Shade. But it's not the thing that binds you, no its. Church frowns. "Fucking piece of shit. Did you swallow any of my gunk!"

“What? I don’t fucking know you kinda filled my mouth with it,” Tucker responded and scrunched his nose. “That tasted awful by the way....” he added, he was suddenly feeling very anxious now.

Church leans forward grabbing his shoulders. "Think hard asshole, if you swallowed bits of my pool you’re bound to me!" Yes this is his fault in the first place, gagging him with it. He doesn't know how to undo that. He's only had one unofficial Castor before and he's still unsure how he broke from that. 

"I don’t know! Maybe? Kinda fucking hard to tell whats going down your throat when your mouth is full of fucking spit and goo dipshit” Tucker responded defensively he could feel that panic rising now, this was not how he expected this little trip to go one bit. How did something like this even fucking happen?

Church squeeze's his shoulders. "I do NOT want to be bound to anyone." He could maybe get him throw it up, but how fast does a pool get into one's system? It’s fast and it may be too late. Could he kill him? That surely would end it. Church shuts his eyes tight thinking, snarling.

“You think I want to be bound to someone either!?” Tucker winced a bit at the pressure being applied to his shoulders, fuck this guy could snap him like a fucking toothpick if he really wanted to, he shifted and squirmed a bit to try and get him to let go.

"Fine if it's to be this way." Church says with a low rumble. "It'll be as if I was never here. Sleep." His voice resonates like dangling chimes hitting the wind. "Sleep and pretend I was never here. That neither of us was so stupid as to meet each other."

Tucker felt something from that but he fought it or at least tried to. “What the fuck does that even mean?” He asked and moments later was out like a light.

\--

Light had entered the cave slowly. Morning had arrived, frost gently lay across the ground. Bits just barely touching inside the cave. Winter birds chirp loudly as they work to get food for themselves. The cave floor is oddly warm. At least in the surrounding shade Tucker lay under.

Tucker sat up quickly as he came to and looked around the cave, had that really happened last night or had it just been a really intense nightmare? He stood up and went to go get his jacket from where he had left it the night before to dry out a bit and shivered as he pulled it on. “Fuck last night was weird.... whatever.... just have to make it home.... everything is fine...” he said to himself buttoning up the coat, it wasn’t much farther till he reached his destination, hopefully just a couple of hours.


End file.
